Car-Nage.

Very sad. My poor baby car.

I Was Having Too Good a Day.

My baby car got munched.
Here's the story.

I was at the front of a line of cars at an intersection on East Hollis (Rte.111) in Nashua. I had a fighting chance of slogging through bumper to bumper traffic all the way to the bridge that goes into Hudson, and then all the way over to Curves in Windham to get a workout in when

BAM.

A big something (van? pickup? Boeing 747? still up for debate) slammed into my baby car. Pushed me a few feet into the intersection.

It gets better.

The old fart who hit me got out of his mega-truckalaurus, came up to my window and told me to pull off the road so traffic could get through.

I was already on the phone dialing 911 AND I AM AN IDIOT, so I did what he said.

Then he got back in his TrucKasaurus Wrecks and drove off - which I didn't realize until I got out of my car to see - nobody.

I know what he looks like, but can't describe the piece of mountain he was driving. And no one called 911 for me either.

So, the trunk won't shut, the bumper is TOAST, but was able to drive the car over to my brother-in-law Keith (species Mechanicus Optimus), who gave me an initial damage estimate of $1200 to $1500.

Grrrr.......

Pictures coming - I am not standing out in the cold to do them tonight. Plus, all the aches and pains are settling in from being rammed from behind (stop that - I KNOW what it sounds like, and I am leaving it).

My back hurts, but my pride is killing me.

Guess What I Did?

For the first year in like FOREVER, I made my own GingerBread House!!!

Ain't it CUTE?

I did realize that it is much easier to have two people working on a house than trying to do it alone. My roof tiles kept wanting to slide down - had to create pretzel buttresses to stop that action! Before that architectural design addition, I kept losing candies down into the house as they fell through the widening crack.

There's enough frosting on this sucker to help it survive a tornado. Can't pick candy off of it without a chisel. But it's DONE.

Eleven Pups a Pupping

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Woof, woof!!!

DonchaWannaPuppy???

Come on - you know U do!!!

Sticky Fingers

Gingerbread House Party 2007

Guests:

• Wanda, with Meghan, Sara and Matthew
• Lora with Nathan
• Chris and Ericka
• Donna
• Gina with Tim

I'm just going to let the pictures speak for themselves! Everyone did a great job. And the cleanup wasn't all that bad - although just this morning Abby was batting a jelly bean around in the kitchen!

Swimming in PUPPIES!

Chet and Anita's yellow Lab Bella recently had 11 (no, that is NOT a typo - ELEVEN!!!) puppies! We went up to York to meet them this past weekend. They were stunning.

Mostly they slept, and ate. But they smelled so good - I LERVES me some puppy head!

Found it!

Finally found my camera cable. I won't tell you where it was because you would be setting up home care for me. Let's say it was the last place I looked and leave it at that!

Anyway, first thing. Pics from Grandview.

Pantsless Amanda, formerly blogless Amanda. Black bar-d to protect the "innocent."



You know how sometime people just fit together like peas and carrots? Both Sonya and SarahD just blended right in like they were there all the time!

Sonya came all the way from Kentucky (or was it Indiana - never got that completely straight) to join us in the mountains. Her laugh is inFECTious, y'all. It's really more like a guffaw. And it is nice to know that there is another member of the GOTTAPEERIGHTNOW club in the knitting group. I felt so alone until I met Sonya....!!

Lora found this hat on a display and had to try it on, it was so fugly. And she soon realized that it was so tight on her head that she had a dent in her forehead for another half hour!

Lisa and Jess braved my snoring for two nights. Somehow Jess managed to crank out 1.5 hats over the weekend. She is incredible.

What About Bob????

UPDATE: I CAN'T FIND MY CAMERA UPLOAD CABLE!!! Or I would post some truly hysterical pictures. As soon as the cable floats to the surface, I'll add pictures. Sorry!!

The trip started out so well. Lisa and Jess arrived at my office right on time, we picked up Ericka in Manchester without getting lost even once, and set out on a beautifully sunny Friday afternoon, before rush hour. We arrived at the Grandview first, and saw right away that the weekend would not be drama free.

Thanks to Bob.

Who is Bob, you say? I dunno. But he made his presence known, even though we never saw his face. His name was on one of the rooms we expected to populate with ManchVegasKnitters this weekend. And as a result, two other rooms, which are small even for two people, had three names on them instead of two. Uh-oh.

Lisa, Ericka, Jess and I popped out to get drinkies and munchies and dinner, and came back, only a few more had arrived, but soon after we settled in, the rest of the gang showed up. They were not happy to see the unexpected triple occupancy. Who would be - they paid for a bed, and two people would have to use a cot instead. But, despite this problem and the basic inattention to amenities** that just became too much this time, we did indeed manage to have a lot of laughs and get a lot of knitting done. Much trash was talked, much jello was shot, much likker was drunk, and we all survived.

But we are looking for a new place for next time.


**What amenities? Let's see:

• Little to no hot water or even water pressure for showers
• Beds that creaked, and beds that collapsed, and beds that were cots
• Breakfast that really wasn't filling, or took any effort. Would you pay for two slices of wheat toast done up as french toast and call that breakfast?
• Toilets that broke, or took forever to refill, or to flush. yeah, that was fun.
• DUST everywhere. Everyone was honking into Kleenex, sneezing and wheezing all weekend. And the snoring - wow.

A Faire Sunday in the Kingdom

Mark dragged my less than thrilled butt to a Renaissance Faire in Kingston, NH on Sunday. (He softened me up by taking us to Lamie's Tavern up in Hampton first for their incredible Sunday brunch. THAT's a do-over. The selection was giganimuss and everything was yummy.)

But yes, the Faire. About a dozen vendors selling ersatsz medieval garb, weapons, instruments, jewelry, incense. And of course, the smoked turkey legs, chili in a bread bowl, and cheese fries that had their roots in medieval cookery.

But it was a beautiful day, despite the maids and merry men making much of their most merry merriment. Pumpkin throwing contests. Belly dancers (had to wipe the drool off Mark's chin).

A few high points - I did find a weaver and a spinner! The spinner has a business - she turns dog hair into yarn. I think someone in the ManchVegas group was looking for someone who did that, so SCORE. And the loom lady was very nice.

Also had yummy chocolate ice cream in a handmade sugar cone. It was still warm off the griddle.

But don't make me go back again - please? It was a little too much like a Star Trek convention for me. Not that I am knocking Star Trek. But there is very little I would immerse myself in as deep as these folks do.

Did You See It???

Copied it from Ericka's blog, cuz she told me to, so blame her!

SUPPOSEDLY if you’ve seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you’ve seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste this as a note. Then, put x’s next to the films you’ve seen, add them up.

Have fun! (yeah, sounds like a HOOT.)

(X) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean
( )Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(X) Neverending Story
( X) Blazing Saddles
( X) Airplane

Total= 6

(X) The Princess Bride
(x) AnchorMan
( )Napoleon Dynamite
( ) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
( ) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
( ) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total so far: 9

(x) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(X) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp

Total so far: 14

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(X) The Wedding Singer
(X ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
( ) Lilo & Stitch

Total so far: 20

(X) Finding Nemo
( ) Finding Neverland
( ) Signs
(x) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
(X) White Chicks
(X) Butterfly Effect
(X) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
( ) Robots

Total so far: 26

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(X ) Deep Impact
(X) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(X) Meet The Parents
(X) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(X) KING KONG

Total so far: 34

( ) A Cinderella Story
(X) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
( ) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( )Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
( ) Flubber

Total so far: 35

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
(X) Hellboy
(X)Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards

Total so far: 38

(X) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chuck
( ) Ten Things I Hate About You
(X) Just Married
( ) Gothika
(X) Nightmare on Elm Street
(X) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask

Total so far: 44

( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(X) Ocean’s Eleven
(X ) Ocean’s Twelve
(X) Bourne Identity
( ) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(X ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
() The Fog
(X) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George

Total so far: 51

(X) Independence Day
(X) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(X) Christine
() ET
(X) Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
(X) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
( ) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2

Total so far: 56

( ) Best Bet
( ) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She’s All That
(X) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
( ) Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(X) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(X) The Terminator
(X) The Terminator 2
(X) The Terminator 3

Total so far: 63

(X) X-Men
(X ) X-2
(X) X-3
(X) Spider-Man
(X) Spider-Man 2
(X) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(X) Catch Me If You Can
( ) The Little Mermaid
(X) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
() The Skulls
(X) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2

Total so far: 74

( ) Swimfan
( ) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
( ) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
(X) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(X) The 40-year-old Virgin

Total so far: 76

( ) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
( ) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
( ) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Total so far: 79

( ) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(X) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History X

Total so Far: 81

( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
( ) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard

Total so far: 83

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(X ) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(X) Waterworld

Total so far: 87

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
(X) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness

Total so far: 90

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(X) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(X) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor

Total so far: 96

(x) The Matrix
( ) The Matrix Reloaded
( ) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
(X) Silence of the Lambs
(X) Hannibal

Total: 100

Step Four: A Fearless Inventory

This step requires that I make a searching and fearless inventory. Too bad I don't keep my receipts. But, my Ravelry stash is a decent compromise.

Step Three: OK, let's skip it...

Step three of the typical 12 step program doesn't really apply. So we'll move on....

(I am using this link, by the way, for the steps. Plus some artistic license and interpretation.)

Nope, not a Step - just CroptoberFest 2007

Every year, I devote at least one whole day to scrapbooking. It doesn't sound like much, and it isn't. But you've seen my craproom - who can scrap in there? And my husband, rightfully, has a problem with me using the entire dining room table to scrapbook when I have a craproom. Sort of a Catch-22.

Anyway, my Creative Memories consultant Melissa holds CroptoberFest in a big church function hall in Kingston, from 10:00 am to 8:00, more or less. We bring pot luck nummies, she provides dinner and more nummies, and we get big tables to work at. Plus, we can shop. What's not to love?

As usual, my buddy ole' pal Lisa joined me there - she has the same problem finding the time to scrapbook, so this event is SET IN STONE every year!

Step Two: Concede to a Higher Power

Step Two: I believe that a Power greater than me can help me return to sanity.

What power?





Organization, in the guise of Ravelry.





I have begun to post my stash, while inventorying and finishing the stash-to-tubs-effort.





Check it out, my Ravelry name is lmardennh.

Update: And I am in the service of another deity of organization - EBay. I am auctioning items on EBay, starting with my cookbooks. EBay ID is lkin, if you are curious.

Denial - It's not just a river in Egypt

I have to get this off my chest.

Hello - my name is Laurin - and I am a crapoholic.

I don't know how it got this bad, but the first step to recovery is to admit there is a problem.

Step One: I admit I am powerless over crafting and all the accoutrements that go with it - that my creative life has become unmanageable.

Need to see the scope of my depravity? The shame? Read on, and judge not, lest ye be judged.

Before you even walk into my crap-room, and I will be calling it that until I can actually use it, you can tell there is a problem. And your worst fears are confirmed...

My sewing machine is somewhere under the desk. The desk is my sewing station. Yeah, I know.

I have attempted some organization - the tubs on the shelves are some of my stash, organized by fiber. I gave up before it was all done.

The cardboard box? That's my Kromski rigid heddle 32" loom. Isn't it purty?

It didn't happen overnight. But ten years of scrapbooking and now knitting, and soon to be weaving - I have accumulated a lot of stuff. I would blame the enablers who have detected my weaknesses, but that would be cowardly - so Gina, you are off the hook.

Next posting, Step Two.